3 Seattle Sounders players who won't be back in 2026

The Sounders have been one of the most consistent teams in MLS, combining veterans with homegrown talent. But the 2025 season is ending now, and roster decisions have to be made.

Several players who played big roles this year have contracts expiring at the end of 2025, and their futures are uncertain heading into 2026.

Among them are longtime goalkeeper Stefan Frei, defensive anchor Yeimar Gómez Andrade and homegrown winger Paul Rothrock, three names that could define a new transition period for the club.

3 Seattle Sounders players that will leave in 2025

Stefan Frei

Stefan Frei’s impact on Seattle soccer can’t be overstated. Since joining the Sounders in 2014, he’s been the heartbeat of the team;  a veteran voice in the locker room and the steady hand behind multiple playoff runs.

But his current deal, a two-year contract signed in 2023, runs through December 31, 2025. His 2025 salary of around $600,000 shows his importance, but also the commitment to a player nearing the end of his career.

The question now isn’t if Frei can still play, but it’s how much longer Seattle can plan around him. Age and injuries are starting to add up, and a scary head and neck injury in July 2025 was a wake-up call. While he was cleared to go home safely, incidents like that often change how teams view long-term security. 

The decision to re-sign Frei would be as much emotional as strategic. They could bring him back on a short-term, lower-salary deal, but unless that happens, Frei’s current deal ends at season’s end. After more than a decade in Seattle his departure in 2026 would be the end of an era  but it may also be the club’s cue to bring in a new generation in goal.

Yeimar Gómez Andrade

At 33, Yeimar Gómez Andrade is one of the most reliable defenders in Seattle. His strength, positioning and leadership have been the backbone of the Sounders back line since 2020. In 2024, he was named to the MLS Best XI, recognition of his defensive work as Seattle allowed the fewest goals in the league. His contract, however, expires at the end of the 2025 season, according to Capology.

The situation with Yeimar is more complicated than Frei’s. Seattle has a club option which could extend his stay for another year, but exercising that option would require balancing his $800,000 salary against the team’s long-term roster plans.

At 33, he’s still playing well, but the front office has to decide whether to invest in a veteran or start shifting minutes to younger defenders. With several promising prospects in the pipeline, the Sounders might not want to tie up salary cap space in a player in the later stages of his career.

For Yeimar himself, the uncertainty might open doors elsewhere and with no extension announced yet 2025 could be his last season in Seattle green.

Paul Rothrock

From a business perspective, Paul Rothrock is one of the toughest decisions the Sounders face heading into 2026. A 26-year-old Seattle native, he’s become an effective and affordable attacking piece.

He’s been piling up numbers like this the last couple of years .  This season, he scored 4 goals and 7 assists. Not bad for a player making $104,000 a year. He's a blend of youth and affordability that has the Sounders in a tough spot: do they sign him to a new deal or see what they can get in return if he leaves?

Rothrock’s current contract gives the Sounders some leverage. We can imagine he’d get noticed by European clubs, maybe in Belgium or Scandinavia, where we’ve seen other MLS players with similar profiles really take off.

There are also domestic teams willing to pay more for a proven goal scorer in MLS. Leaving him after the 2025 season would give the Sounders a chance to turn a small initial investment into a nice profit and free up some salary cap space in the process.

It’s a decision that fits within Seattle’s sensible roster strategy of  balancing loyalty to homegrown talent and smart business decisions.

By the end of the 2025 season, Rothrock could be a tangible asset whose next move will say a lot about how the Sounders make smart business decisions and compete for years to come.